Playing Catch-Up With Bucks County, PA's Big Mouth

I have to admit that I’ve been remiss in not paying attention to the latest idiocy from J.D. Mullane of the Bucks County Courier Times due to work/personal business and deciding to post about other stuff, but I thought I’d better do it quick or else I’ll never be able to dig my way out of it (though his column yesterday about the job seeker wearing a burqa is kind of touching…lately Mullane has been actually trying to report on the human cost of unemployment – gee, wonder if it’s because a Dem is in the White House? – as opposed to indulging in cheap characterizations and misinformation, but I’m getting ahead of myself).

Let’s begin with his column last Sunday, shall we (about those oh-so-righteous opponents of health care reform versus those left-wing miscreants who support it)…

It's odd to see suburban Republicans engage in street protest. Generally, conservatives find public displays of disaffection gauche. Besides, they have jobs.

As opposed to those lazy bum libs living off the public teat, right J.D.?

Why would (Patrick) Murphy reconsider (his support of health care reform)? According to his spokeswoman, he "won't commit to voting for this when we don't know all the details of the final package."

My guess is the polls, too, which in the 8th District show voters souring on Obama's health care plans, according to sources.

Any idea as to who those “sources” are, J.D.? The National Review? BucksRight.com? Betsy McCaughey? Crazy Glenn Beck yelling about Catholic “socialism”?

I guess it’s a secret (not that it matters, though, because, as noted in the Courier Times today here, Murphy – who really should get a mention if for no other reason than because it’s St. Patrick’s Day J – has said he will vote for the bill; based on this AP story, it may go through some kind of procedure called “deem and pass,” which of course has met with howls of outrage by Republicans even though they used the procedure themselves at least 35 times, as noted here).

Continuing with Mullane…

(Last Monday March 8^th, Murphy) took a pass on a photo-op with President Obama at Arcadia University.

And the reason why he did that was noted here, as follows…

Pennsylvania Congressman Patrick Murphy (D-8th District) was flanked by Bucks County first responders Monday as he announced federal funding for the county's public safety system.

Murphy said the $300,000 will support the county's efforts to improve its emergency services by advancing information sharing among law enforcement, EMS and firefighters.

"Every single day they put their lives on the line for us," said the Congressman, calling emergency services and issue that crosses party lines.

Murphy said he did not attend President Barack Obama's speech at Arcadia University, which was taking place at about the same time he was at the Bucks' emergency operations center, because he wanted to "honor his commitment" to the first responders. Murphy said his plans to announce the funding were made long before he knew the president would be speaking in Cheltenham. 

And get a load of this in particular, J.D….

Charley Martin, (Repug) chairman of the Bucks County Commissioners, thanked Murphy for keeping his appointment.

Oh, and returning to Mullane’s column last Sunday, he has already tried and convicted our congressman of accepting campaign donations for favors from defense contractors (no proof, of course), stating…

The last time we had a Bucks County congressman cozy up to lobbyists, he was Republican Jim Greenwood who suddenly retired to become Big Pharma's lobbyist-in-chief.

I think it’s hilarious that Mullane gives Saint Mikey Fitzpatrick a pass considering the following (here).

Also, Mullane wrote a column here dated a week ago about two ladies looking for work at a job fair which showed what I thought was a surprising bit of empathy (and by the way, J.D., it’s “Primerica”). This is a far cry from his previously-noted remark about supposedly hard-working conservatives, as well as Mullane’s previous snide reference here about a “hippie dude and straw-hat guy” who Mullane couldn’t waste time with because “unlike some people, I had a time card to punch” (and of course, J.D. also ridiculed the “stim” here – for the context on what the stim meant to PA, context J.D. is loathe to provide of course, this post from Above Average Jane provides more details).

And on the subject of work, I recently happened upon a quote by writer and management consultant Peter Drucker, who said that “there is nothing so useless as doing efficiently that which should not be done at all.”

Of course, if Mullane actually abided by that himself, his pundit gig would disappear.

According to sources, of course.